e-Cycle partnered with Ford Motor Company on a month-long initiative to raise funds for type 1 diabetes (T1D) research while recycling wireless phones.

As part of the program, thousands of employees at Ford buildings and plants across the U.S. collected their personal mobile phones for shipment to e-Cycle’s facility in Hilliard, Ohio, where the data will be removed using security measures and the devices will be recycled to the highest environmental standards.

e-Cycle will cover the cost of shipping and donate $1 to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) for each device recycled. Ford sites will compete to see which one can collect the most phones and raise the most money.

T1D affects both Ford employees and their families. e-Cycle also has a personal tie to JDRF, as company founders Chris and Tonia Irion have a child with T1D. Tonia serves on the board of the Mid-Ohio Chapter of JDRF.

e-Cycle helps companies and organizations to achieve responsible, secure and cost-effective mobile recycling. The initiative with Ford is the first employee-driven mobile buyback and recycling fundraiser undertaken by e-Cycle. Last year, e-Cycle raised $19,000 for JDRF by making a donation for phones purchased or recycled over the course of one week.

Ford Motor Company created the Ford Global Action Team in 1998 to promote friendly competition among Ford sites to raise funds for JDRF. Since inception, Ford, along with business partners such as the UAW, BP, Mazda, ADESA and WPP, has contributed over $39 million directly to JDRF to fund research.

e-Cycle believes the partnership with Ford is a model for how mobile buyback and recycling can serve as a foundation for corporate caring initiatives.

“With the help of e-Cycle, companies can promote data security and environmental responsibility while supporting causes that are important to their employees and customers,” said e-Cycle CEO Chris Irion. “For charities, this kind of partnership provides an opportunity to enhance their revenue streams.”